Thermoelectroresponsive device



.1 ,sz msso S'ebt. 15, 1931'.

H. E RUPP THERMOELECTRORESPONSIVE DEVICE Filed May 20 .lllllli 9 w b a??? AZ'EBEET E. EUPP Patented s'e a 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERBERT E. BUPP, F MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGIIOB TO THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, 01'

MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION 01 NEW JERSEY rnannonmcraoansronsrva nnvrca Application filed Kay 20,

My invention relates to a thermally eontrolled relay which may be used in various Y ways for various purposes, as for instance, to

open and close an electric circuit or to j mechanically trip some device.

The object of my invention is to provide a thermally controlled relay which is affected by the flow of current therethrough for a lapse of time, and which will operate-to perform useful work and which is practically unaffected by'changes in temperature of the surrounding air.-

My invention resides in the new and novel construction, combination and relation of the .15' various parts herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings.

In thedrawings: F 1 is a plan view of my invention in partial section.

20 Fig. 2 is a bottom edge view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top edge view of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are side views of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6, is a partial view in section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1. In the preferred embodiment of my invention- I show a base member 1 upon which is mounted by means of the screws 2 a relay M. This relay comprises an iron core 3' having an enlarged baseor end 4 and the other end being .1

threaded for attachment tothe cup-shaped member 5, also of iron. The end faces of the members 4 and 5 constitute the two poles of a magnet. Surrounding themember 3 is a coil 6 of the pro er number of turns to give the desired energization of the electro-ma at when the proper amount of current is owivotally mounted to the member 5 or to the base 1 is a lever 7, which is shown as in-' sulated from the member .5. This lever is composed of a conducting material preferably, such as bronze or copper, or if weight w is a factor it may be composed of aluminum.

i Y the. lever 7.

Also mounted on the base 1 is a contact standard 8 secured thereto by a screw 9 and having an adjustable screw -10 to engage, with The lever 7 is shown as held against the screw 10 by means of gravity, but a sprin can be used, if so desired, as is'well known y those skilled in the art.

' of these elements,

" would be a 1926. Serial N0.'110,412.

Mounted upon the base, ber 5 as I have shown, is the thermo-responsive device T. This device comprises the upper member 11 and a lower member 12 composed preferably of two metals and known in the trade as bi-metal, such as steel and brass, and which have different temperature coefiicients.

The member 11 has one end secured to the member 5 by means of the screw 13, and I have shown thesame as insulated therefrom by the insulating washer l4. Secured to the free end of the member 11 is a light insulating member 15 and secured .to this member is the bi-metallic element 12.

On the free end of the element 12 is or upon the memmounted a soft iron disc or armature 16. The

weight upon the thermal element 12, and its distance from the face ofthe magnet can be varied by bending the elements 11 or 12 or both. a

Secured to the disc 16 is ali ht pin 17 adapted to engage with the lever% when the free end of the element 12 is sufliciently raised as when attracted by the electro-magnet. Since the member 7 may be used as a switch member, I lace a small insulating disc 18, to

e enga e end of t e member 17 passes freely through an opening in the end of the member 12 and by the member 17. The lower moves independent of the member 12 under By using shown it will be apparent that if the brass or copper, which may compose one of the metals is placedon the lower side that if. the temperature of the element 11 is raised that the free end of the same will be raised, and the insulating member 15 instead of having its upper and lower faces horizon-' talas shown, they will take an oblique position with the right side lower than the left side. This would tend to throw the free end of the member '12 downward or change its relation to the face of the electro-magnet, but since the thermal element 12 has its lower metal of ccipper the tendency will be, since it ected by the same iiicrease internperature as the meinber 11, to move its free end upward. e

By properly adjusting the size of the membars 11 and 12 the distance of the armature 16 from the maintained fairly constant regardless of any change in temperature of the surrounding air as lon as both thermal elements 11 and 12 are afi ected by the same change in temperature. a

, One 'end of the coil 6 is secured to the attaching post 19 and the other end i's,secured to the conductor 20 which is secured to the fixed end of the member 12 by means of the screw 21.

To the free end of the member12 is a conductor 22 connected to the post 23, and" this ber 12 so as It will be noted that the coil 6. is in series with the thermo-element 12, and

conductoris very-flexible adjacent the memnot to interfere with its free movement.

1 will take place, If, however, there should be a very heavy and sudden increase inc-the amount oi current flowing and beyond a predetermined amount, then the magnet Mwould be very strongly energized and the member '16 would be attracted suddenly toward the face of the magnet M, and the member 17 would contact with the lever 7 and raise the same, and this would open any circuit which might be connected to the member 8 and to the member 7 by means of the'screw 24 (Fig.

' an overload to a normal amount.

- eavy surge warcNo its limit and the disc and 17 will be held in'this raised position until 3), and this circuit connected to the parts 7.

and 8 mlght be connected to further appa- ,ratus which would open the circuit leading to the posts 19 and 23 or to controlling apparatus which would reduce the current from free to'move .The members 16 and 17 being relative to themember 12, the member 12 will not be drawn upward when the disc 16 andpin 17are attracted by the magnet M and the pin 17 lprojects down far enough not to disenag'e t e member '12. Under a sudden and heat enough to have its free end moved up assuming another case where the device is in norma through should increase gradually and thereby heat up the. parts which the device is presumed to protect, then the thermo-responsive device, would gradually come into opera- .tion and the member 16-would gradually apface of the electro-magnet can be.

of current the member 12 may-- pin 16 and operation and the current there-v proach the face of then-magnet M untilit reachedfa position where, it will afiected by the energization'of the magnet M. to a sullicient degree to instantly draw the armatin-e 16 and pin 17 upward to their limit and the pin 17 will impinge sharply upon the.

member 7 and move it under the action of a hammer blow.

The operation device takes place at a less current value than that required to move the armature 16 from its lowest, position, therefore, it will be seen' ,that the device has two limits of current cf the thermo-responsive value which it may work to, one being a sudden increase in the current value beyond a predetermined amount and the other being a slow increase in the current value'until a predetermined value is reached for a given lime, but the current value is less than the overload current value.

My invention can be used' in connectlon with electrically operated translating de' viceswhich are subject to-overloads and'to excessive heat belowtheoverload value by of the circuit and conplacing it in oneside necting the other side ot the circuit, and' then connecting a circuit openin device to the contacts 7 and 8 to be opened protective device operates thereby opening the circuit'to the translating device,

It will be-quite evident that the contact member 8- will be positioned to engagethe 'lever 7 on the opposite side thereby closing] a circuit in place of opening a circuit as shown when the device operates.

when the I The lever 7can beused to trip wrotatably I operated switch, as shown in .myco-pending application, Serial No; 110,411, filed May 20., 1926, which issued March 24, having the armature 16 operated during the final partof its stroke purely by the action of the magnet upon the same, mechanical stress is not placed upon the light elements 11 and 12 in moving the lever 7.

became Patent' No. 1.797567, 1931, if desired, and by;

Other objects than those first stated here- I in will appear to those skilled in the art and also modifications which may be made without departing from the scope of my invention, therefore, I wish to be limited only by my claims;

I claim: v

1. A thermo-electro operated switch comprising an electro-responsive device having an energizing coil and a thermo-responsiveelement normallyconnected in series and interposed in a circuit, means to control 'a cir- I cuit and to be-operated by the electro-respom sive device and the thermo-responsive device when the current in the circuit suddenly exceeds a predetermined value and when the current of a. lower predetermined value has operated for an interval oftime and means A; An article of inanu'facture v comprising magnet and by the electro-magnetand the s9 turechanges-in the surrounding air.

I it'to one of its positions, an electro-magnet to compensate for change in temperature of ranged at the end of said magnet opposite the surrounding air to maintain the action said armature and 1n the path of said of the thermo-responsive device constant. plunger.

2. An electro-thermo-responsive device In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 5 comprising a thermo-responsive device oper- HERBERT ,E. RUPP. able by current flowing thcrethrough to heat the same, the thermo-responsive device having a vfreely movable end, an armature mounted on the free end of the thermo-re-,

sponsive device, an electro-responsive device adapted to attract the armature when the current flowing through the thermo-responsive device has raised its temperature to a predetermined. amount .and deflected the 15 thermo-responsive device and the armature into the active field of the electro-responsive device. x

3. An article of manufacture comprising an elec'tro-responsive device provided with 20 an electro-magnet, a thermo-responsive device, an armature operable by the electro-- magnet only for a predetermined current flow throughthe electro-magnet and by the electro-magnet and "the thermo-i'esponsive device for a current flow of a lesserpredetermined value than first mentioned and ther- .mo'-responsive means 'tocompensate for changes in temperaturelofflthe surrounding 3,111.

an electric-responsive dev1ce, a therrno-responsive device, and an armatureoperable by the electro-magnet only for a predetermined current flow through the electrothermo-responsive device for a cur-rent flow of a lesser predetermined value than first mentioned and means" to compensate the thermofresponsive cl e.vic,e' against tempera- 5;:A .cir'cu'it controller comprising a 1 switch in said circuit to open and close the same, an armature adapted .to be moved into 'operativerelation with "the switch 'to move arranged to be'energ zed and to attract the I armature'and hold the switchintheposition to which it was operated byjtheiarmature .and a thermoresponsiye}elernentthermally; aaffected by currentfflowingtthroughjhe eleelectric swi'tch,comprisinga'inagnet having a, core member with anopening therenial e'ljementtseries with said-winding, a

" magnetic armature arranged. to moved l toward said'niagnet by fs'a-idithermal element dowheh'saidlthermal "elementiis heated and movable "toward "said. magnet by' the magmetic 'cat traction' {thereof independently of saidth'ermizl element, a'plunger attached to said armature and 'exten'din through the 65 opening said magnet, "an a switch -ar- 

